Looking at the big picture

In many ways, Managed Fund is the best representation of the Global Trends investment philosophy, which looks at the world from a global macroeconomic perspective. This top-down view of the world lets us identify powerful Trends that have global impact which, in turn, can lead to exciting long-term investment opportunities.

Trends can be patterns of human behaviour – for example, the astounding rate of urbanisation in developing markets, which offers many opportunities in Luxury, Technology and Infrastructure. Global demographics reveal a rapid rise in the world’s population and this poses important questions regarding Water, Agriculture and Healthcare. Or, a Trend can simply be a cultural change such as the rise of Ecommerce, which is altering both everyday habits and the commercial structure of businesses everywhere.

In simple terms, Global Trends could be described as looking at what is happening in the world and spotting the opportunities to invest. Most importantly, however, is that it is logical, easy to understand and it works very well, as you can see from our performance.

3 Dimensional Diversity

Unlike our other Global Trends funds, Managed is not limited to investing in a single Trend but has the freedom to invest in a wide variety of opportunities, wherever they occur. This means that the fund has a natural degree of diversification, which is unconstrained by geography, currency or industry and therefore significantly wider than most funds. The fund’s portfolio typically includes a variety of industries across a multitude of markets and, therefore, is less affected by the volatility of any single market or sector. The results are designed to be a smoother, more consistent, return for investors over the long term while capturing the benefits from a highly diverse portfolio.

In sync with the world

Perhaps the most interesting feature of Managed is its flexibility. Global Trends are by definition long term in their effects, but the speed at which they develop varies. Some trends are best measured in decades – for example, the current explosion in the global middle class will not reach its zenith until 2050. Other trends, for example Technology and Ecommerce, will undergo numerous innovations and developments over the same period.

Given its wide investment brief, Managed is able to take both of these scenarios in its stride and adapt its strategy not only to how Trends develop and change, but also to new emerging Trends. In some ways, Global Trends is a study into the nature of change. Having the ability to adapt to change is essential in today's investment world.

Did you know?

As a result of an ageing population in developed countries the retired population (over 65) will rise by 500% in the next 25 years. 1

We will need to produce more food in the next 30 years than in the whole of human history. 2

Despite dwindling fossil fuel supplies, we will need to produce 50% more electric power in the next 20 years than we do today. 3

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